Means for use with balloons and other air vessels for indicating air-currents.



. '0. DAVIS. MEANS FOR USE WITH BALLOONS AND OTHER AIR VESSELSFORYINDIGATING GURRENTS.

APPLIUATIOK FILED AUG. 29,-L908.-

9 5 5 'Patented Ma 11,1909.

z sums-SHEET 1.

' 0. DAVIS. MEANS FOR USE WITHBALLOONSAND OTHER AIR VESSELS FORINDICATING AIR GURBENTS.

nrnmn oiw FILED we. 29,1908.

921,515, PatentdMay1L1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESE8 INVENTOR liliTllll CHARLES 'DA'VIS, Ol LONDON, ENGLAND.

Mi -ANS FOE; UQEE BAFJLOQNS AND QTHER AIR V E 1115; FQEL INDICATINGiirn-cnnnn'nrs.

Epecificat-ion of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1909.

Application filed August 29, 1398. Serial No. 150,834.

of 147 New Bond street, in the county-oi 5 London, England, art expert,have invented Jse with Balloons other Air Vessels for IndicatingAir-Curr ing is aspecifiesti Y Hitherto, when bring balloons, or otherair vessels, into different air currents, it has been necessary tolower, or raise, the balloon, or other air vessel, or to throw somelight object therefrom and to note its behaviorv The first mentionedplan is of course very troublesome and necessitates great waste of gasand ballast, and shortens the life of an inflated balloon, while thesecond mentioned plan is not reliable, and, in some cases; is difficultof attainment, and is, of course, useless at night-time, or in cloudy,or misty, Weather.

' According to my invention 1 provide a support (which may be foldable)projecting from the car of the balloon, and to this sup port I secure adevice'capable of deflecting, or tilting, preferably in all directions,for example by being carried by gimbal rings, or by ball bearings, or auniversal joint, and I provide a device capable of being lowered, or ofrising, from the said deflecting, or tilting, device, and carried by acord passing over suitable guides, or pulleys, so that it can be paidout, or drawn in, from, and to, the car.

At the end of this cord is a device which will be acted upon by aircurrents, this device being for example small weight for descending intothe air beneath the balloon, or a small container which is filled with agas and which is so light that it will ascend above the balloon, whenthe cord is paid out.

When the said weight, or container,arrives in a current of air which ismoving at a diii'erent rate, or in a diilerent direction, from that inwhich the balloon is situated, or moving, the said weight, or container,will be moved by the said current and-the cord to which the weight, orcontainer, is attached will cause thchforcsaid device capable ofdoiilecting, or tilting, to be deflected, or tilted, and the inclinationof this device will indicate' the direction of the current of air inwhich the small weight, or container, is situated, and the length ofcord paid out outs, of which the iollow it has been desired to,

l l l l l 1 l l l i will indicate the, distance below, or above, the'l)1llO011,'111 which the current is moving.

In the auompanying drawings 1 have illustrated an instrument constructedin accordance with my invention, in which a D new and userulimprovements 1n Means for 1 small weight is used for descending into theair beneath a balloon.

Figure 1 is an elevation and Fig: 2 is a plan. To the side 1 of car ofthe balloon are secured eyes and 3 for carrying a support,

1 the vertical member 1- of which has its lower end. engaged in the eye3, and its upper end provided withs removable pin 5, engaging in the eye2, and preferably secured to the support by a chain as shown to preventits being lost. Junction pieces 6 and 7 are ill et. to the said verticalmember 4;, near to its uppe and lower ends, the lower junction piece 7forming a bearing for the said vertical member on the eye 3. Th movableto allow of the upright being readily dismounted from the eyes 2 and inthe junction piece 6 is lined one end of the h zontal member 8 of thesupport, the other end of the said horizontal member being received in apiece Q hirmed with horns 10 end an eye 11, and with a part 12 toreceive one end of a diagonal strut-bar 13, the other end of whichstrut-bar is fixed in the junction piece 7. Horizontal inclinedstrut-barsl and 15 are lined at one end in the junction piece 16, whichis made with an inverted U- shaped part for resting; between the horns10. The said piece 9 is formed with a part in which slides bolt 18,which can be slid over the U-shaped part of the junction piece 16 tohold it, and the strut-bars 14 and 15, in place. The other ends of thestrut-bars 1 1 and 15 are-each. provided with end-pieces hinged by a pin18 to an angular piece 17, the turned down part of which can be slippedinto eyes 19 and 20 secured to the side of the car. Thc'cye 11 receivesthe stem 21 of a 'fork-piecc 22, carrying a gimbal ring 23, in which isswiveled a support 24 for a rod 25 which may have, at its upper end, aflag 26, and at it slower end is a guide roller 27, for a cord 28,passing also over a roller 29, carried by projections 30, from a frame31, carrying a drum 32, around which the cord 28 is wound, the frame 31being supported at one end by an upright 33 from the bar 8, and beingfixed at its other end. to a screw-clamp 351, fixed to the edge of thecar and referably provided with a, hinged bearing-31001: 35.

c pin 5 is rc- 'tional weights into the vessel iii).

The frame 31 carries a toothed wheel 36 provided with a handle 37 forturning it, so that it drives the toothed wheel 38 fixed to the axle ofthe drum 32 and pays out, or winds in, the cord 28.

The end of the cord 28 carries the necessary small weight, which may beof any suitablejdescription. It is shown as being a cupshaped vessel 39having, in it an opening 40 for the escape of rain water, this openingbeing covered inside by a disk 41, secured at a short distance above thesaid opening and with a sul'licient space l'retween the edge of the diskand the inside of the vessel 39 for the passage of water, but not toform an 011-. je'ctionably large passageway for air. The weight can beregulated by putting addi- On the rod 25 is a cleat 42, around which thecord 25 can be woundiwhcn it has been paid out to a sufficient extent.

It will be seen that the apparatus constructed as described can bereadily put in position for use, or taken apart and folded when out ofuse. v

If it be desired to provide means for taking observations in strata ofair above the balloon, a similar cord can be used passing upward over aguide pulley on the rod 25 and carrying a small container which willrise when the cord is paid. out vice is used, the rod can be reversed inany convenient way so that the flag is below, and the guide rollerabove, the gimbal ring.

When such de-- stantially as dos Having now particularly described aidas certained the nature of my. said invention and in what manner thesame to be gm:- for ned, I declare that what I claim is 1-" 1. In adevice for indicating remote air currents, the combination with abracket ada ted to be fastened to the side of the has et of a balloon, agimbal ring mounted on said bracket, an indicating device eupported insaid ring", a captive device adapted to be influenced by air currentsand a cord therefrom engaging said indicating device whereby the latterdiscloses the direction ol' the air currents influencing said captivedevice together with means whereby said captive device may be let out ordrawn in, suh

ribcd.

2. In a device for indicatingremot air currents, a frame and anindir'tating' member carried thereby capable of tilting in any direction, in combination with a captive device adapted to be influencedby aircurrentsandmeans in connection therewith for aetw ating saidindicating nieinber togetiu'rr with means whereby said captive devicemay be let out or drawn in, substantially described.

In testimony whercoi I have signed my name to thisspecific-ation, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

' CHARLES DAVIS. Witnesses GEORGE ALEXANDER HOWE, WILLIAM GERALDREYNOLDS.

